I am trying to install virtual box on a Linode, running: Ubuntu 12.04.5 LTS \n \l

In order to do this, I need the kernel source to be installed (so that the setup procedure for VB can build the kernel module).

I've tried various things, starting with "apt-get install linux-source" and "apt-get install linux-headers". Both seem to be stuck on thinking I want kernel version 3.2.something, but I am running 3.18.something.

One of the command I tried suggests installing "linux-headers-3.18.1-x86_64-linode50", which seems reasonable, but when I try:

apt-get install linux-headers-3.18.1-x86_64-linode50

I get:

# apt-get install linux-headers-3.18.1-x86_64-linode50
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package linux-headers-3.18.1-x86_64-linode50
E: Couldn't find any package by regex 'linux-headers-3.18.1-x86_64-linode50'
#

So, where do I go from here?

I've done the usual "apt-get update" and "apt-get upgrade" incantations. is there something I need to add to my /etc/apt/sources.list file for this to work?

You can't install a Virtual system (virtualbox) ONTOP of a Virtual system (xen).



**yes, there are exceptions, but not in this case.

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Either provide enough details for people to help, or sit back and listen to the crickets chirp.
Security thru obscurity is a myth - and really really annoying.

That's one opinion. I await others.

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Either provide enough details for people to help, or sit back and listen to the crickets chirp.
Security thru obscurity is a myth - and really really annoying.

THat's not the point, anyway.

The point is: Where do I get the kernel source?

All the obvious things have already been tried.

The point is that experience shows that unless you get *EXACTLY* the right kernel source, it won't work. It has to be EXACTLY what was used to build the currently running kernel. Believe me, I know of what I speak.

The point is that one of the things that I tried (which, alas, I cannot remember/re-create at the moment) did say that I could get the exact kernel source that corresponds to the kernel used in the Linode setup (presumably, from the Linode devs themselves - the guys who set up the Ubuntu image that I am running). That's what I seek.

Everything relevant is in the original post.

BTW, if it turns out that I can't do this (the overall, long range goal), I am prepared to find that out myself. I will probably find a workaround, if it can't be done "straight up". In any case, I need to find the kernel source/headers.

No it doesn't. The sources you build against need only match in ABI compatibility with what you are running. Generally, this means matching versions, but not necessarily matching patches applied on top, since most patches don't break ABI compatibility. Linode simply uses the sources from kernel.org, and patches the Makefile to add the -linode# suffix to the kernel version. They've not had to patch to fix broken things since XSA-39, and even those patches didn't break ABI compatibility, so you could build against sources that didn't have those patches and not have any issues. The last version I can think of where their patching would have broken ABI compatibility would have been when Xen PV support was not in the mainline kernel, which was a very long time ago.

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Disclaimer: I am no longer employed by Linode; opinions are my own alone.